VENTURE CAPITAL POST

Private equity firms are keeping more money for acquisitions, according to a report from the Financial Times. The "dry power" of private equity funds have risen to USD 789 billion this year.

Valuation results in 3Q13 showed a noticeable increase over 2Q13, including the greatest difference between up and down rounds in over six years. The software industry was especially strong, not only valuation-wise, but also in the number of deals.

Despite investor criticism it received for paying more investment attention on its non-core division, Gazprom announced on Tuesday in a joint statement that it had acquired Profmedia from metals tycoon Vladimir Potanin.

The resignation of billionaire Carl Icahn's director appointees in Take-Two Interactive Software Inc's board of directors was part of an earlier agreement should Icahn decide to sell his position in the video game publisher.

Australia-based task outsourcing platform Airtasker raised an additional USD2 million in a funding round with BridgeLane Capital, Exto Partners, and other private equity investors, to be used for the firm's team expansion.

Technology-focused private equity firm Silver Lake Management LLC will raise a USD1 billion fund to be invested in mid-sized companies. The firm's Silver Lake Sumeru LP unit will run the new fund.

Big Data firm ColdLight Solutions has obtained growth capital from Kayne Partners. The amount of funding was not disclosed but ColdLight said it will help expand operations and scale their business solutions.

The acquisition by Virgin Connect-affiliate Trivon AG of The MegaMax Group in the Nizhny Novgorod region of Russia dispelled a rumor about the former's business in trouble in the region.

Spanish bank Banco Popular announced the sale of its property management units to US-based investment companies Varde Partners and Kennedy Wilson for an undisclosed amount.

The Wall Street Journal said private equity firms may soon be returning to Spain and Italy. The report cited data from Preqin and the information presented given by several sources.

Charter Hall Retail REIT completed a fully underwritten USD80 million institutional placement for the partial funding of its Rosebud Plaza acquisition, according to the company's statement to the Australian Securities Exchange.

Billionaire and IAC/InterActiveCorp Chairman Barry Diller said Aereo Inc may get as much as 35% of US households to use its service once it overcomes the lawsuits filed against it by broadcasters.

Subtraction Capital, FF Angel, 500 Startups and other investors supported CapLinked, a cloud-based platform for business, with a USD 1 million investment in its expansion round.

Reforms made in the financial services industry through the retail distribution review or RDR implemented in January by a UK regulator has brought private equity to the arms of wealth managers, according to a report from Citywire.

Texas-based Endeavor Energy announced that it has inked a joint development agreement with Joule Africa to construct the USD500 million Bumbana Phase II Power Project. Endeavor Energy obtained a USD100 million funding from private equity firm Denham Capital.